Draw
On your turn, take the next tile from the live end of the wall. You now hold fourteen tiles (plus any exposed sets). If the drawn tile completes a legal winning hand, you may declare a win by self-draw — usually worth more than winning on someone else's discard.
If you draw a kong's fourth tile you may declare a kong and draw a replacement. In Chinese styles a drawn flower is set aside and replaced.
Discard
If you do not win, discard one tile face up into the centre. Chinese and American tables usually place discards in a loose pool; Japanese tables place each player's discards neatly in rows of six in front of them, which makes reading them much easier. Name the tile aloud as you discard — a courtesy at most tables and a rule at many.
Once your discard has been placed and named, it cannot be taken back. That is why careful players decide before letting go of the tile.
Others' chances to claim
After a discard, other players have a short window to claim it. Anyone can claim it to win; anyone can claim it to make a pung or kong; and in Chinese and Japanese styles only the next player may claim it to make a chow. Claims for a win take priority over pungs, which take priority over chows.
If nobody claims the tile, the turn passes to the right, and that player draws from the wall.
Keeping a steady pace
Mahjong is best when it flows. Agree on a reasonable time to claim a discard — a second or two — and avoid drawing your next tile before the previous discard has had a chance to be claimed. Many clubs ask players to wait until the discard has been named before reaching for the wall.
